Millions of Americans live with diabetes. It’s a chronic metabolic condition that changes the way your body uses insulin and glucose, and it can have far-reaching effects on your overall health.
Having diabetes puts you at risk for complications, such as nerve damage (neuropathy), poor circulation, and slow-healing wounds — especially on your feet. In fact, about 10% of people with diabetes develop diabetic foot ulcers.
Diabetic wounds can be serious, and treatment is often complex. Our team at Endocrine Associates of West Village can help. We offer the latest in diabetes management and wound care — including outpatient insulin infusion therapy — so you can enjoy your best possible health.
Insulin is the hormone that allows your body to absorb glucose (sugar) from the food you eat and turn it into energy. When you’re diabetic, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or it’s insulin-resistant and it can’t properly use the insulin it has.
As a result, glucose builds up in your blood and elevates your blood sugar. High blood sugar damages your nerves, and over time, a condition called neuropathy can develop.
Neuropathy often affects your legs and feet first. It reduces your ability to feel sensations, like temperature changes and pain. It can also affect blood circulation, both of which slow your body’s ability to heal itself.
If you get a small cut, blister, or other injury, it might heal slowly, and it could go unnoticed. The longer an injury goes untreated, the more serious it gets. Eventually, the injury may develop into a diabetic ulcer or slow-healing wound that requires specialized care.
At Endocrine Associates of West Village, we provide comprehensive and proactive wound care services for people with diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and more.
Specialized wound care promotes healing and minimizes the risk of infection and other complications. We do extensive wound assessments, debridement, and management. If you have diabetes, we may also recommend pulsatile insulin infusion therapy to support wound healing.
Pulsatile insulin infusion is part of our diabetes concierge care service. It’s an outpatient infusion that mimics the way the human body naturally releases insulin to improve diabetes symptoms.
If you have diabetes, your body can’t create or use insulin the way it should. The goal of pulsatile insulin infusion therapy is to restore your body’s natural insulin sensitivity over time and reduce associated diabetic complications.
Each pulsatile insulin infusion takes about two and a half hours in our office. Our team administers metered amounts of insulin intravenously. These doses are delivered in pulses every few minutes.
When you start therapy, expect to have weekly infusions. Our team monitors your condition, and we may move you to monthly infusions after a period of time.
If you have a diabetic wound, infusion therapy could complement your wound care plan. Pulsatile infusions can improve symptoms of neuropathy and help regulate your blood pressure, which both work to enhance your body’s natural healing ability.
Infusion can accelerate wound healing. The faster and better your wound heals, the lower your risk of complications, including disability and amputation.
It’s time to learn more about your diabetic wound treatment options and find out if pulsatile insulin infusion therapy is right for you. Contact the office nearest you or request your first appointment online to get started today.
